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About 2 months ago, I bought a ’98 Eclipse RS (how did I go from mustang to mitsubishi, I don’t know.) Even though the used dealership we went to lied to us trying to justify paying almost twice its blue book value by claiming it “undergoes a thorough inspection and passes” when there’s spots of rust, the oil leaks (or burns), the passenger-side headlight may have a short somewhere (it’ll randomly turn off while I’m driving or hit a bump; lately its been less faulty), and a few other things (I will post more pictures/a video soon, showing some of the issues) I was obsessed with this car and had first-car blindness (well, technically 2nd car. I almost bought a 2006 Hyundai Elantra auction car which was in worse condition) and was furious to find a better model (GS, may’ve been a GS-T or GSX) for the same price in far better condition 2 days later…but, live and learn. Granted, 5 pm on a friday isn’t a good time to buy a car because I couldn’t take it to a mechanic to have it looked over before buying…but again, young and stupid obsession and I had been searching for a 2nd gen eclipse for months (even though they were made in a city ~40 miles north of me)
I’ve noticed that even though the temperature doesn’t show overheating, it’s running awfully hot. Occasionally when I start the car, it has a fast idle and puffs out white smoke (I question if this is the burnt oil, it smells somewhat like it) it has gotten to the point where I have to add a quart of oil every few days to a week to keep from running dry/killing my car. When I drove it earlier today, I noticed more lag when accelerating than usual, and at low speeds in a parking lot, I could hear and feel it chugging slightly. When I got back home, there was steam and whistling coming from the radiator cap, which kinda worries me as I’ve never had that happen…around 4,000-4,500 RPM, a faint squealing noise starts, somewhat similar to a turbocharger whine (although it’s a non-turbo) A friend of mine said it may just be a pulley squeaking. I had a mechanic friend take a somewhat closer look and took it for a test drive, claimed he heard a bad wheel hub, although I’m not sure if it’s a wheel hub, bearing, or just bad tires.
Right now, my main concerns are the immediate hazards (possible overheating, rough engine performance, etc.) I plan on adding more information and visual aid, but could anyone offer any advice as to what I could do? I would have taken it to an actual mechanic and have them look at it, but I’m a broke-as-a-joke student on the hunt for a job, and I can’t get help from anyone else at the moment :/
PS Sorry for the terrible writing/weird subject changes, I’ve been a bit mentally fried lately and car troubles are the last thing I need…
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I DO want to at least pull the plugs and check for any oil residue, but I also intend on putting new ones in (relatively soon) and possibly a new ign. coil when I can. Lately, I’ve noticed significant lag when accelerating, but it could just be me… I’ll update this when I know whats going on under the boot, etc.
checking a boot takes about 10 seconds, just pull straight up and see if there is oil on it, or around the spark plug. Now if there isn’t, that doesn’t mean your valve cover gaskets are not leaking, that is just a symptom when they do.
I was waiting til the next time I went someplace, but I went ahead and took a drive to make a video anyway showing what problems I’ve noticed…and apparently my phone picks up the wheel hub(?) rattling quite well. It usually is at its worst when I’m on a bumpy road, or mainly at highway speeds (~65-70 mph)
Here’s the boot and around the spark plug. Looks clean, but I don’t have the right socket to pull ’em and check the inside
From what I can tell, the previous owner didn’t care for this car very well…it wasn’t well maintained in any way :/ it needs a lot of love…and money I don’t have at the moment. Thankfully, I live ~30 minutes from the city it was manufactured XD I should take it into a local dealership or some sort of repair shop and have them look it over, get a list of what’s needed
Best thing to do? Pick up a Haynes or Chilton’s guide for the car. You’ll find it has great detail in basic and moderate advance repairs. I’d 100% get that cap replaced asap. Give it a top off with correct fluid mixture of coolant/distilled water– And then see what the cooling system does. It might correct more then a few issues.
Best of luck with it!! And keep us posted!
S-
I went ahead and filled it to the brim this morning, and I planned on getting a Haynes/Chilton’s book as soon as I could (I had one for the mustang- well, still do…its a life-saver) but, they’re ~$25 🙁 I may be able to pick up a new cap while I’m out though.
So far, the overheating was caused by loss of antifreeze somewhere, probably because I didn’t screw the radiator cap on properly by accident so it lost pressure/boiled over into the reserve. Wouldn’t hurt to get a new cap when I can, otherwise its fine for the moment. Although, I have noticed that the car’s idle is somewhat rough, noticeably shakey. I still need to check the spark plugs but can’t find the socket I thought I had, must’ve lost it in the garage.
Quick update: Last night, my radiator cap was hissing/steaming again…time for a new one, and a block test (I know people mentioned sooner, but I haven’t been able to :/) I did manage to find a 5/8″ spark plug socket and changed my plugs ($10 made a big difference) The ones that were in there previously were Autolite copper plugs….with plenty of corrosion on the electrode, and 3 and 4 looked like they had oil or carbon caked on (still wet). I stepped up to NGK V-Power copper plugs, and already noticed an immediate difference in the idle being softer and running much smoother.
And yes, I did use anti-seize and dielectric boot protector/grease on them.
This morning I went for a drive and realized multiple issues with the Eclipse…I finally broke down and took it in to the local dealership for a 27 point inspection. An hour and $95 later, I confirmed some suspicions I already had, but also found a few other issues. Throttle intake system is marked under the red S, I assume they mean service (soon; on the way home I noticed when I pressed on the gas I felt something similar to brake grinding, but from the gas pedal.), the drivers side tie rod needs to be replaced (under notes there was “(T. (or CT.) WN. Tie Rod”, what exactly does this mean?), Front brakes need to be done, and the oil loss may be signs of a leaking head gasket. The next thing I can think of to do would be a compression and leak-down test to check for that. Attached are pictures of the inspection report, maybe others can see something I may have missed?
Looks like left inner tie rod end.
As much as I know Eric likes factory manuals. Some of those manuals can cost over $75 to $100 in some cases. Kinda why I lean towards the chiltons or haynes manuals.
Dealerships have a nickname of “Stealerships” for a reason. Yes you’re getting factory parts and ‘factory’ trained techs. You’re also paying a premium for their skills and services. In some cases the shops can be on par with other independent shops. And other cases they know someone spent big bucks for the car, so most people won’t bat an eye if they have to spend a grand or two on a repair.
I’d still recommend picking up the manual and checking into what you can do yourself to save costs. Eric has a lot of great videos that cover the basics of most repairs that are ‘universal’ in nature. That is–car systems are all built around the same theories and principles. Not much difference between car’s x,y, and z for brakes…Enough of a difference to need a shop guide so you know specs and special procedures needed–but the operational principles are the same.
Also would recommend finding a decent forum that deals with that brand/make of car. Find a good one, and not one full of flaming idiots. Our knowledge here is based upon a wide scope of cars and years of working on several makes/models/etc.. So we can get things pegged pretty close. But if there are design issues, well known faults that other owners have dealt with, and quirks about your car? Sometimes a dedicated forum can yield faster results.
If you go that route–please post here as well. So that we can learn more about that cars issues so we can better help others in future. Plus we can avoid the issue of tunnel vision–aka– Sure cars x,y,z have problem ‘b’….always caused by issue ‘c’. I’ve seen forums that won’t see past that one key issue–and then start missing other possible causes. All with the best intention, but it can be frustrating.
S-
Unfortunately, I won’t be have the funding to do…well, anything to my car until at least monday, but buying a Chilton’s/Hayne’s book is a top priority (some refer to it as the “DSM Bible”)
As far as a forum that specializes in 2nd gen eclipses, I have been to DSMTuners and DSMTalk, and although I haven’t posted anything about my car *yet*, I plan to in the near future. They seem like decent sites with plenty of specialists and no BS. Of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t still keep this thread updated :3
Generally speaking, how hard would it be to change a head gasket on a DOHC (Chrysler 420a) engine? I’m a bit of a “weekend warrior” type novice, but I know a decent amount about some repairs (thank you again Eric for providing such informative videos)I haven’t encountered having to pull a cyl. head off before though. If I can do it myself, I’d rather buy a gasket off RockAuto and a full socket set/impact socket set/3/8″ drive impact (the toolbox here is a mess where 75% of the time, I can’t find anything) instead of paying ~$1,000 to have O’Brien do it. My only concern is that I’ll screw up someplace and this is my only car and my daily driver…
Head gasket job isn’t impossible. But it does take some rather specialized tools in some cases. Hence why I mentioned a shop manual. Also the job takes time. Nothing sucks more then having your only set of wheels down for several days–only to find you need to run to the parts store because something was missed, lost, or busted when taking things apart.
http://www.allpar.com/fix/headgasket-2.html
Interesting read. Seems incomplete however.
And I can dig it about the tool box. I went from a 6′ tall 4′ wide Snap-On loaded to the hilt when I did this professionally….down to a dinky craftsman box and using Stanley socket and tool sets. (love the blow molded boxes. Makes organizing a snap).. So yeah..my box is a mess.
If you’re worried about making a mistake? Check around to independent shops for an esti. Most are glad to take on the work and at times can be a large savings. Just check around for references and warranty info. This isn’t a job you want to repeat anytime soon.
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